Office of the Historian

246. Memorandum From the Secretary of Defense (McNamara) to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Lemnitzer)1

Washington, November 13, 1961.

SUBJECT

  • Actions concerning South Vietnam

In advance of our receiving the National Security Action Memorandum recording the results of the November 11 meeting with the President, I believe the Joint Chiefs should proceed urgently with the actions stated in paragraphs 2 and 3 of the memorandum tabled at the meeting.2 In this connection:

a.
Paragraph 2 (b) should be understood to embrace actions within South Viet-Nam as one possibility, with additional actions against North Viet-Nam and/or Laos envisaged as separate and supplementary possibilities.
b.
The desirability and feasibility of moving troops and/or prepositioning equipment in the forward Pacific area should be specifically considered. If this is militarily useful, and would expedite the carrying out of decisions to go ahead with any of the plans developed under paragraph 2, we should be prepared to work out any political factors with State.
c.
The actions listed in paragraph 3 should be carried forward with all possible speed. I should like a full report of the states of these measures, the forces, equipment, and costs involved (estimated as well as is now possible), and the schedule of execution. It is understood, of course, that these measures will not be made public or communicated to officials in South Vietnam, at least until the proposed exchange of letters with Diem has been worked out.

Robert S. McNamara3
  1. Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, McNamara Files: FRC 71 A 3470, Southeast Asia 1961. Top Secret.↩
  2. Reference is to the memorandum discussed in Document 234.↩
  3. Printed from a copy that bears this typed signature.↩